Sunray x-1 vs. Garrett Pro pointer

[digitrich]

Time is the key, less chasing equals more finding.... especially when you are checking "iffys". If you open the hole and put the X-1 in the bottom and the signal doesn't improve, you can confidently move on...with a hand held you will have to complete that recovery...5 minutes gone for good or bad when you think about it.

 

[Jason illinois]

The detector pro pistol probe signal is picked up by my SE and it sends TID tones through my headphones, but wirelessly. Only down side is that it is about a foot or longer. I have its little holder strapped to my upper shaft so I can keep a eye on it and for easy access. I liked the X-1 I had on my EXII but I just decided to be different when I got the SE so I decided to try the pistol probe. I am not thrilled about its size, I feel stupid carrying it because of its size but its depth is unmatched and it is not too heavy, it is well manufactured and lots of knobs with useful features.

 

[Critterhunter]

About a week or two ago in the Sovereign forum I posted a review of the Pro Pointer and the pros and cons of using one versus the Sunray Probe. Go there for details as it was a lengthy comparison. I used to have the Sunray on one or two of my Explorers in the past and I feel the Pro Pointer is MUCH better in many respects, including being much faster and far less of a hassle to use. Some of the other reasions I prefer the Pro Pointer include weight, cosmetics, use with other machines, being able to quickly help a friend find a target without lugging your machine over, and so on. Another thing that bothered me with other pinpointers I've used is the need to turn them on touching the soil so they calibrate properly to prevent falsing. End up doing this over a piece of metal and you have further problems. Don't have to do that with the Pro Pointer. It's a winner. More reasons and explainations can be found in my thread in the Sovereign forum.

 

[Critterhunter]

By the way, being able to discriminate the target with the pinpointer is something I never used anyway. I don't know about most people but once I commit myself to bending down and digging a target it's coming out of the ground regardless of if it turns out to be junk or not. That's the hole point to a pinpointer...being able to find the target without having to get back up and re-pinpoint it with the detector.

I'm also not going to leave another iron "trash" signal in the hole even if I already have pulled a coin out of it. I don't like those odds, as there could easily be more coins that were dropped with the first one I recovered and are being masked by iron or other junk. Not to mention the old rule about less trash being there to mask coins the next time you hunt the spot.

That's also why I like to dig any other signals above iron within 3 or 4 feet of a good recovery. An example of this would be a friend who dug two large cents out of one spot. He invited me over to sweep the rest of the area around where they came from. About a foot or two away I was getting a jumpy signal acting much like a 22 casing. I'll tend to ignore those in certain areas because they are all over the place. Anyway, it ended up being an 1858 silver 3 cent piece in mint condition.

Ask yourself this...If you dig the hole on an "iffy" coin signal and your probe is telling you it's trash, are you willing to cover it back up and walk away? I'd rather dig out the trash and hope the bad signal I was getting was due to a nearby coin. Once I've taken the time to bend down and dig out a target I'm not getting up without it, trash or not.

Mainly, though, it's the weight, added wires, and what I thought was a major hassle to use the Sunray...Snap it off, throw a switch or two, snap it back on. Try to remember to throw the switch back or hunt another five minutes before I realize why my detector isn't picking anything up with the coil. Just the fact that I have to use two hands to snap/unsnap the Sunray back to the shaft is more trouble than it's worth to me. I generaly try to keep my right hand somewhat clean and use my left for digging and sorting through the dirt. That way I'm not getting more dirt than I have to on my detector. Since the Garrett Probe is for the most part waterproof and can be rinsed under water I don't have to worry about how dirty it gets.

It comes with a nice holster that makes removing/replacing it very quick and easy. In many cases by the time I've snapped off the Sunray probe and set it up properly I can already have the target located with the Pro Pointer. Left hand is all I need to throw it back in the holster and go about covering the plug back up.

I'm sure SunRay lovers can find just as many reasons why they prefer it over the Garrett. You have to decide which of the pros and cons of these two units best suits your hunting methods and pick one based on that.

 

[silversniper]

Thanks all the helpful responses. I think, after reading the various points of view, I will invest my money I was going to use for the X-1 in something else... maybe an 8" stealth coil... I have been happy with my ProPointer and think I will stick with it, for now.